A Simulated Reality (COTE reacts)

Chapter 1.2: The Point System (reaction)

Ayanokōji Kiyotaka POV

Whilst walking to our classroom, Kushida and I engaged in small talk. Being the expert between the two of us, of course, she's the one who spoke first.

"So, Ayanokouji-kun, do you know anyone from your junior high who's attending this school?" she asked.

This should be a pretty natural conversation, but it's a really bad topic for me. Because I did not attend junior high, I thought about making a fake backstory that I would stick with if these kinds of topics ever come up in a conversation. However, I immediately discarded that line of thinking because it was too risky. If I start this with a lie, I should be a hundred percent consistent, but that's simply impossible.

I don't know anyone apart from Kushida and myself. Should I name a random middle school, it'll be harder and harder to keep that lie up as time goes on, even with an elaborate backstory. With all this in mind, I just came up with a half-truth in order to solve all my problems.

"You're quite... the pragmatic person, Ayanokouji." Katsuragi commented, narrowing his eyes in suspicioun. "Ever since the start of the video, you're analyzing and applying logical reason to every move you are about to make and respond.”

"Kukuku, you still don't know anything, Katsuragi?" Ryueen chuckled, enjoying the ignorance.

"...What do you mean?” Katsuragi asked, confused.

“Just watch the video, Katsuragi and you will know in time, kukuku..” Ryueen shook his head and laughed.

"Unfortunately, no. I just came back from abroad, after all," I said, like a line from a script.

A half-truth indeed. The White Room was a facility located deep within the mountains. Even if it was somewhere in Japan, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it another country.

“Heh. What are the odds of this White Room place being real...?”

A student snickered.

“I mean—a place within the mountains, ridiculous. Its like a secret evil organization or something...”

Well, the White Room is certainly unethical in all angles. Calling it an evil organization isn't by any means a stretch.

“Forget about knowing its located in the mountains... how would you even find a hidden facility among thousands of named mountains?”

"But didn't they say that everything in the video is real...?"

“It might be fake or it might be real. We may never know...”

The students engaged in a conversation about the validity of the White Room.

I looked at the front of the gymnasium and stared at Tsukishiro up front intently, silently gauging his expression.

Acting Director Tsukishiro wore a calm smile while listening to the conversation, having no intention to intervene.

Looking at his calm and composed bearing, it made me have a hint on to what their hidden cards are in face of the possible outrage of the people later on.